Diana-Elena Păun – Everything is true, nothing is false, everything is false, nothing is true.

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What are fake news, propaganda and conspiracy narratives doing to us, to our social interaction and how can we counter them? In her four-part work, photo artist Diana Păun explores the phenomena of our post-factual present and looks for ways to deal with the analysed complex situation. The starting point is the finding that in the information age we have more information available to us than ever before and at the same time have to deal with so much false information. The artist analyses information, information flows and media in Romania and Germany. Her findings are presented in the form of sculptures, photographs, sound and in a journal. The “ Conspiracy Symphony“ was created in co-operation with Shih-Che Lee. The symphony can be understood as a reminder and an invitation to listen carefully and attentively and to think calmly about what is being broadcast to the world.

The clay sculptures scattered around the room are to be understood as a warning from the artist to the viewer. The ceramics are entitled „Rabbit Holes“ and symbolise a situation from which escape is difficult. Păun thus alludes to a feeling of powerlessness that can creep up on people in the fight against misinformation and the current attention economy. At the same time, the objects symbolise how quickly you can get caught up in the rabbit hole and how its ramifications will not let you go. For example, when conspiracy narratives seem congruent and hermetic with the help of ever more twists and turns.

In her large-format photographs, Păun shows motifs that she took in Romania and Germany, such as a grazing white horse in front of an abandoned construction ruin at sunset or a llama in front of a windmill. The incidental nature of the motifs and the clear composition of the images create a very concentrated effect. Part of the artistic process involves „wiping“ the pictures with a chlorinated cleaning agent. In this way, the colours appear very restrained, almost pastel-like, and the depicted objects seem detached. The method of image creation presented here can also be understood as a suggestion for dealing with fake news and conspiracy narratives. In her journal, Păun encourages us to think about the question „What is truth?“. By reading the journal, the artist invites us to embark on an expedition on which it is important to acquire criteria as to what can be taken seriously and how. Rita Ferreira has interlocked the form and content of the journal in a design she created. For Păun, it is fundamental that one’s own freedom ends where that of others ends, that the rights of one’s own group can only apply as long as they do not infringe the rights of another group. Another result of her research is the bias between mistrust of traditional journalism and established media on the one hand and trust in social media and other online platforms on the other. It is important to carefully scrutinise media and sources and take a look at how they are financed. The artist concludes by asking visitors how we can combat misinformation in the post-factual age.

Text: Dr. Silke Förschler

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Diana-Elena Păun

Diana-Elena Păun (b.1995) is a visual artist based in Bucharest, Romania. She works with photography and site specific installations with various objects in order to create enjoyment around photography in space. Diana gets inspired by daily experiences as a member of society, the relationship between people, and the relationship between people and nature. She is interested in topics such as society, self-anthropology, collective memories, and emerging alternative histories. Her projects were exhibited nationally and internationally at contemporary art institutions such as Galeria Posibilă, Bucharest; National Museum of Contemporary Art, Bucharest; Musée de la Chasse et de la Nature, Paris; Moderna Galeria, Ljubliana; Shenzhen, Shangqi.

Instagram: @didielenaa